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Don’t Forget to Floss!

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Most of us understand the importance of brushing our teeth on a regular basis, but what you may not know is that flossing is an extremely important part of any good dental hygiene routine. In fact, flossing may be just as important – if not more so – as brushing.

Although brushing your teeth is effective in removing stains and bacteria from the surface of your teeth, a toothbrush cannot always remove food from between teeth. That’s why flossing is so important. When food gets trapped between teeth, bacteria quickly form. Once bacteria are present, they can harden and become plaque, which eventually turns into tartar. This material can only be removed by a dental hygienist or a dentist. Tartar buildup can make it next to impossible to effectively clean between your teeth, which can lead to gingivitis – a precursor to advanced gum disease. If your gums are swollen, tender and/or bleed easily, you may be experiencing the early signs of gingivitis.

Fortunately, there’s a simple way to avoid the problem altogether: just remember to floss at least once a day. This applies to children as well as adults. Young kids under the age of 10 or so may not be good at flossing on their own, so it’s important that you floss between the teeth of your little ones as soon as they develop teeth that are close together.

There are a variety of different types of floss available – narrow, wide, waxed, unwaxed, flavored, etc. Choose whatever floss you prefer, but just remember: don’t forget to floss!

Resource: http://www.mouthhealthy.org

Another Way to Fight Cavities

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Most of us know the basics involved in good oral hygiene: namely, brushing and flossing twice a day, staying away from sugary snacks and visiting your dentist twice a year for regular professional cleanings. However, there’s new evidence that suggests that there may be another way to fight cavities, and it’s one that many people would never expect – eating cheese!

Medical professionals and scientists have known for many years that dairy products are good for bone health, but until recently there have been few, if any, studies that indicate how your teeth are affected by dairy products. However, in the May/June 2013 issue of “General Dentistry,” a study was published that showed that eating cheese may actually help to prevent cavities.

The pH Connection

It all revolves around a person’s pH level. If you have a high level of pH, you’ll be less likely to form cavities. And, conversely, if your pH level is lower, you’ll be more at risk for tooth decay. In the “General Dentistry” study, three groups of people were asked to consume dairy products. One group was asked to drink milk, another group to eat sugar-free yogurt and yet another group to eat cheese. At the end of the study, the pH levels of all groups were measured. The groups that drank milk and ate sugar-free yogurt experienced no changes in their pH levels, while the group that ate cheese showed a rapid increase in the pH levels in their mouths, indicating that cheese may actually help to prevent tooth decay.

 

 

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130605130118.htm

Dental Health Problems Diabetics Should Know About

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Being diagnosed with diabetes is overwhelming in so many ways.

Not only does it mean a major change to your dietary habits, it can also imply the need for more regular dental and vision care.

Diabetes has long been known to increase the risk of many visual complications, but the disease can also play a big part in dental issues.

Oral Infections
If you have noticed swelling, discomfort, or increased sensitivity in your mouth recently, there could be an oral infection present. This can also be denoted by dark spots on the teeth, sinus pressure, or red patches on the soft tissue of the mouth. While diabetes may not be the root cause, the infection can make blood sugar difficult to control and increased sugar in the blood stream can negatively impact oral health. Thus, it can become downward spiral. Any of these warning signs should be treated with concern and respect. A dentist should evaluate the problem as soon as possible.

Fungal Infections
Diabetes can be the cause of other oral conditions, including fungal infections. High blood sugar levels can result in a condition known as thrush. That is a thick white patchy appearance on the tongue or other soft tissue in the mouth. At times, this can appear as red patches as well. If left untreated, the fungi can cause ulcers to form in the mouth as well.

Dry Mouth
Some of the medications associated with diabetes are known to leave the mouth feeling excessively dry. Dry mouth increases the risk of decay and bacterial infection. Increasing liquid intake can help, but this problem should also be discussed with a dental professional.

For more information about diabetes and your dental health, continue reading the full article.

Thanksgiving Dinner and Oral Health

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Every Halloween there is talk about the dental ramifications of ingesting so many sugary-rich goodies.

However, have you ever considered the damage that can be done during the celebrated Thanksgiving meal?

Just as Halloween comes with oral side effects, Thanksgiving can wreak havoc on your oral health. It can, however, also be a great time to improve your dental status.

With the right menu, you can encourage strong teeth and gums, so why not start on this Thanksgiving Day?

Turkey
With a good dose of phosphorus, turkey can actually encourage tooth development in the younger dinner guests. It also encourages calcium and magnesium absorption, which is beneficial at all ages. When Thanksgiving is over, you can continue dosing yourself with phosphorus, which comes in many forms. Most notably, seafood and veal are known to contain high volumes.

Beans
Like nuts and grains (which can be great additions to casseroles, by the way), beans are protein-rich and contain other oral caretakers, such as phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium.

Stuffing
While the mass of stuffing is generally made up of bread, additions like carrots and celery carry valuable vitamins and nutrients. Of those, the teeth will be most appreciative of vitamin A.

Mashed Potatoes
Potatoes are vitamin rich on their own, but they are made even better when milk is added during the mashing. Milk, of course, is excellent for teeth thanks to its high volumes of calcium. Calcium strengthens the enamel that defends against decay.

Get more great Thanksgiving Day tips and learn about the health benefits of cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie at the full article.

Could a Higher Sales Tax on Sugary Drinks Save Your Health?

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The amount of sugar consumed each year in the form of soda and other liquids is simply astounding.

It has been reported that as many as 13 billion gallons of sweetened liquid are consumed each year and that fact is thought to have a major impact on the number of diabetes cases reported each year.

It also has researchers considering the impact of a price hike on the less-than-healthy drink options.

Could cost make a difference?

Researchers from the Columbia University Medical Center are saying yes.

They expect that there would be, at least, a 15% reduction in sweet liquid consumed if the government considered the possibility of imposing a penny-per-ounce tax.

It is thought that the penny-per-ounce tax could cut new diabetes cases by more than 2% in just ten years.

It could also make drastic impact on the number of cases of coronary heart complications, strokes, and premature deaths.

In fact, the new tax could save twenty-six thousand lives in that same ten year period. In addition to saving lives, the tax could add up to 13 billion dollars in tax revenue over a decade.

There is no guarantee that people would choose a safe alternative to the sugary drinks, but fifteen percent, researchers say, is a conservative estimate.

If people turned to water and diet drinks as researchers hypothesize, then each sugary drink not consumed could represent sixty calories not consumed.

Considering that the United States pays out a whopping $174 billion each year on diabetes treatments alone and nearly that much on obesity-related complications, the penny-per-ounce tax would appear very little, but some worry that the tax would negatively impact lower income households where the most sugary drinks are consumed.

Still others defend that the savings in medical expenses would more than cover the difference in price, when families are forced to refrain from drinking so much ‘liquid candy’.

To continuing reading about this study and the proposed change, visit the full article.

Healthy Gums and Heart: Let Your Food Work For You

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Researchers are beginning to make a startling discovery regarding dental health. It seems that it isn’t just your pearly whites that can be affected when you skip that nighttime brushing or fail to schedule that next dentist visit. Did you know that it has been found that gum disease sufferers are two or three times as likely to contract heart disease? The leading killer in this country has a direct link to your mouth, so it might be time to pay more heed to the way you care for your teeth and gums.

The thought that gum health and whole-body health are interrelated is one that has been gaining great popularity in medical circles. Doctors in both fields have been publishing findings that link heart and gum disease, so patients know what they are risking by failing to keep their mouths free of decay and disease.

There are many ways to keep gums healthy, aside from the obvious brushing, flossing, and visits to the dental chair. For instance, eating more raisins has been shown to help because the dried fruits are chock full of bacteria battling antioxidants. They can beat away the harmful microorganisms, which lead to painful inflammation and gum disease. Green tea is also a powerful combatant, as it contains a special antioxidant called catechins. Finally, whole grains can reduce one’s chances of periodontal disease by nearly twenty-five percent. So, rather than reaching for the enriched white bread, you might opt for the whole grain or oat bread, and instead of the white rice, choose the brown. These whole foods break down and release sugars more slowly, which keeps the blood sugar at a more even level, and means reduced chance of gum and heart disease. The most important thing for mouth and heart health is to continue eating and drinking healthily.

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